Planning to do my first carping session, need some advice please...

[fishplate42]

I describe myself as an 'all-rounder' when asked what sort of angler I am. In reality, I am just having a go at all sorts of fishing, to see what I like best. Recently, I discovered a new venue, close to where I live in SE London. The venue is called Cypry Angel Pool and is located in Bexley. Although the lake is designed to be a carp water, it has a stock of other fish as well as smaller carp. They made me very welcome with my float rod, feeder rod and pint of maggots. I spent the day there last Saturday and I intend to go back and spend the day carp fishing. You can read how I got on HERE. I have carp rods, and all the gear to carp fish, I have never tried spending the day exclusively going after carp.

My plan is to put a couple of rods out with chod rigged wafters as hook bait and a PVA net bag of freebies. What I am not sure about is how much feed/groundbait to feed and when. Also, how long should I leave the bait out before checking/re-baiting.

Any advice would be most appreciated. I am intending to do a 7-7 day session.

Ralph.

 

[john r stockburn]

wacky baccy and a never ending supply of cheap lager should get you some new friends , leave litter all over the place and under no circumstances use the toilets ,**** in the hedge
sorted

 

[sam vimes]

Chod rigs rely on the buoyancy of pop-ups to work as intended. Using them with wafters or bottom baits effectively makes them unnecessarily complicated helicopter rigs. They can't overcome "chod" (weed and debris on the lake bed) without the use of a pop-up. You may also find that the mechanics of the rig are compromised. How much bait and how long you leave a rig in the water largely depends on the water concerned, time of year and the stocking density. All you can really do, in this regard, is suck it and see.

 

[fishplate42]

Chod rigs rely on the buoyancy of pop-ups to work as intended. Using them with wafters or bottom baits effectively makes them unnecessarily complicated helicopter rigs. They can't overcome "chod" (weed and debris on the lake bed) without the use of a pop-up. You may also find that the mechanics of the rig are compromised. How much bait and how long you leave a rig in the water largely depends on the water concerned, time of year and the stocking density. All you can really do, in this regard, is suck it and see.

Thank you for that, Chris. I will use pop-ups then. Looks like I will have to just give it a go and see how it goes.

Ralph.

 

[103841]

Take a book.

On a serious note, are you allowed to surface fish there Ralph?

 

[fishplate42]

Take a book.

On a serious note, are you allowed to surface fish there Ralph?

It is the waiting around not doing anything that has always put me off the idea. Yes, they do allow surface fishing but no one was catching that way last Saturday.

I will take some mixer with me and if the boredom starts to outweigh the expectation, I might give it a go.

I think the fish were mid to high up in the water at the weekend, so they guys were talking about using 'zig' (?) rigs, which I think I know what they ar but I was going to do some research on YouTube and see if I can find something that looks like valid information. The problem is I have no way of knowing if the information given is good or bad on this subject. We will see...

If nothing else, it will be an experience.

Ralph.

 

[103841]

There are certain venues where they won’t touch a surface bait, my estate lake is a prime example.

Last time out at Stonar I was plagued with carp taking my Rudd bait just inches below the surface, how deep is the lake?

As far as I know a zig rig is simply a floating bait anchored by a leger weight and you adjust the height depending where the fish are in the column.

Pellet waggler is another method that is far more entertaining than sitting behind buzzers.

 

[sagalout]

I would suggest a pellet or method feeder using a pellet as bait, cast every 2 to 5 minutes and see what happens plus as already suggested the pellet waggler. Fish it like any other commercial and the carp will come. Alternatively set up for silvers and the carp will come.

 

[sagalout]

Sorry forgot to say fish the margins.

 

[Jelster]

It is the waiting around not doing anything that has always put me off the idea. Yes, they do allow surface fishing but no one was catching that way last Saturday.

Pellet waggler, and use a piece of artificial sweetcorn on the hook to counter balance the pellet so it sinks slowly and holds in midwater, with a few free offerings going in. No more than a size 12 (maybe a 10) hook.

 

[thecrow]

wacky baccy and a never ending supply of cheap lager should get you some new friends , leave litter all over the place and under no circumstances use the toilets ,**** in the hedge
sorted

If that's your view of carp anglers then maybe you are fishing the wrong places, tarring all with the same brush is a dangerous hobby, are all car drivers drunk drivers?

I will never understand this anti carp angler attitude on this forum, there is no need for it and it is based on prejudice from a small section of anglers, are all none carp anglers the perfect model of what an angler should be (whatever that is) of course not so why is it only carp anglers that receive this treatment on here.

Sorry for the deviation Ralph.

 

[john step]

Ralph, are you able to use two rods. How about a carp rod down one margin or further out and a pellet waggler in front of you for a more active day. Really depends on the stocking levels how long between bites.
On a carp rod with boilies I like to use a PVA stringer with some whole and some half boilies attached/ tied to the lead.
I suspect when you say there a plenty of small ones the stocking may be quite high.
have a good day.

 

[stillwater blue]

Presuming you fancy fishing the lake specimen carp stylee, you have two rods so I'd use two different tactics and bait.

I'd use a marker float or a bare lead and look for a feature of some type, if the lake is busy I would ignore the gravel patches that'll be heavily fished and look for firmer clean patches of silt or clay. I would then bait this up with a mix of pellet, corn and hemp, perhaps a dozen or so spods and then fish a bottom bait over the top. I'd fish double sinking fake corn with a wee stick or PVA bag. After every fish I'd top the spot up.

In my experience chod rigs do best with a scattering of boilies rather than tight baiting, I wouldn't bother with a PVA bag. They can also be a bit blatant if not fished over chod or silt but on the plus side can be fished anywhere. I'd watch the water like a hawk and cast the chod rig to showing fish, I would fish it as a single bait unless the fish where showing in roughly the same area regularly in which case I fish the chod over a scattering of boilie and not move it around too much.

I would also bait up a margin swim. I would bait this fairly lightly but keep a trickle of bait going on a regular basis. I would fish this if I saw fish in the swim.

 

[103841]

So Ralph, what method did you choose, was it successful?

 

[mikench]

I'm still far from fluent in carp but did you zig your chod ok Ralph?

 

[Roto Fryer]